Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Published by Harcourt on October 2008Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 471
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
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Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.
She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po.
She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.
With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more
Review:
Graceling is one of those books that all of my book friends have told me to read. How they loved it, how awesome it was. And I kept saying yeah, I will. I will. I’ll get to it.
And it took me so long. There were other books to read. Newer books.
I was wrong. I should have read it right away.
Graceling is the rare gem of a book that really pulls at your heart while expanding your mind. As I read, I was fully immersed in the city, in Katsa’s journey. There she was, mostly alone and on her own. She was a tool, a weapon. And then one day, she decided not to be anymore. It was thrilling and lovely and well written. It was adventure and romance and sacrifice. I loved her and Po together, their conversations and vulnerability. I love how Katsa changed through the novel, growing more confident in her own choices, being able to choose.
I read it over days and days, eager to fall back into the world but reluctant for it to be over. (I did have Fire the companion novel on hand so that was good!)
It’s a strong adventure story of a intelligent female who makes her own path. I can’t wait for my daughter to be old enough to read it and then we can fangirl together.
And to my friends who told me to read it ages ago, I’m sorry. You were right.
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
